{in the kitchen} baby's first foods

hello there!

some exciting stuff around here... our little one is trying out some tasty {solid} morsels!

we've been on our breastfeeding journey and starting around 5 months our guy showed so much interest in what was going on at the dinner table... since then he has tried a few bites too {did i mention my baby is 8 months old?!}!

we chose to feed our little j soft real foods that are cut in ways to be easily held. or can be served up on a spoon for him to feed himself. at the beginning - when he was six months old - his daily meal(s) were more about being at the family table and touching real food and less about what nutrients made it into his body. we were still breastfeeding around the clock and family dinner was when we chose to have his meal type experience. my husband and i have always been excited about being at the table as a family, talking and sharing about what happened in our days. this is why we've decided to make it j's social solid foods eating time.

now that we are two months in our guy is a pro and LOVES to eat! sometimes we serve up purees while most of the time we are making sure our foods are provided to him in safe ways to eat {soft, sometimes mashed, often on a spoon} he chats with us and his crazy babbles {plus the few words he says basically daily - mama, dada, and "Ebba" for our dog Etta}

how we knew we were ready...

+we were given the okay by our doctor - due to his head control and subsiding "tongue thrust" our pediatrician shared that she was more than comfortable with him starting to experience some foods. in fact, she was ready before we were! it was so nice to have that go-ahead. and it got this mama dreaming about messy hands and gummy sweet potato smiles!

+he couldn't help himself when mom and pop were eating - grabbing at all the things, staring at whatever was going in our mouths, we knew his interest was there.

+we researched - after throughly reading about 'baby led weaning' we found that we liked the real food, just keep it safe, eat what the family is type approach.

+we took baby steps - once we knew he was interested we had a few weeks where during dinner time he would sit in his high chair (this kid's core strength is unreal) and would touch and play with a little bowl, spoon and cup while we ate dinner and all talked together. he LOVED it from the first meal so we thought he would attend to food once we felt more prepared to start our route to solid foods.


what is working well for us...

+cutting up foods so he can hold it

+foods he likes - he can go with bananas in all the foods! but we also eat avocado, peas, sweet potato, pumpkin, prunes, blueberries, papaya and more...

+doing the 4 day rule - only trying one new food every 4 days or so. this way if a food allergy is present it will hopefully surface prior to introducing the next new food and we will know that we need to be careful around whatever food he ate just before symptoms arrived.

+peanut butter - check with your pediatrician on this one, but ours suggested moving forward with the current thinking that younger babies should try peanut butter (watered down, so no choking hazard); we waited until he had tried many solids and had no allergic reactions to anything.

+having our pup, Etta, take care of the dirty work - our little babe and pup are just such good friends already. and now our girl loves this baby boy even more because of all the snacks she sneaks from the floor under his spot at the table.

any mamas have real food/baby led weaning tips to share? or are you interested and want to learn more? check out this Real Food Mamas Podcast - Episode #49: BLW in the Kitchen

have a good one!!

winter + trying out our freezer-saved chicken eggs

this past fall i mentioned that i was saving up some of our fresh eggs for the winter. our chicken flock lays all summer, spring and fall. every so often when we have a stretch of lovely (spring-ish) winter days they will lay a couple of surprise eggs for us. it keeps us on our toes!

i'm happy to say that thru this past winter we've only purchased 3 dozen eggs! and it wasn't because i didn't save enough... well, let me explain. 

in the summer i was doing a major food prep for our little one's arrival, preserving some produce and considering how to put up some eggs. {read more about that with Fresh Eggs Daily} i made lots of dishes to freeze that contained eggs, but i also decided to try out freezing actual eggs.

by using a silicone baking mold i would freeze the eggs {as per instructed by Fresh Eggs Daily!} pop them out and then save them in freezer bags... 

our most used eggs were the whisked eggs that could be thawed and put into recipes. we didn't seem to use the eggs that were prepared for frying - just not quite right for us. {hence why we splurged and purchased the 3 dozen eggs - all for various brunches at home!} i think this upcoming summer i will freeze whisked eggs, freeze fewer mini breakfast bakes and more baked goods in order to save up some of our eggs. that seems to be what works best for our taste buds and general kitchen routine. 

do you have any favorite high protein -as in several eggs- baked good recipes to share? tell me in the comments!

{mama hood mondays} post partum meal prep reflection

you may remember that before our little guy was born i did a mega food prep. it has been very helpful for us in our beginning months of parenthood to have many meals in the freezer to pull out for dinner. and oh my, do i eat snacks during the day! i thought a little reflection might shine light on a few more postpartum meal prep tips and help incase i ever take on such work again {see my list of tips from while i was in the thick of it:: click here}

A few observations...

+ we really do prefer freshly made eggs... as it was summer time and our ladies were laying it down i made loads of mini egg bakes to freeze. these were the last things we are still eating. i don't think it is a problem, but maybe i wouldn't make so many next time.

+ make fewer gluten filled snacks... pre-pregnancy i wrestled with a gluten intolerance. breads, cookies, cakes, pizza all mess with my head and digestion. i would be able to get away with eating a little gluten treat maybe like once a week with very little problem. during pregnancy i could eat all the gluten filled gloriousness that i wanted - and i did!! this led me to believe that i could probably get away with it during breast feeding. this was only true for a couple weeks. now i am finding no gluten to be my best plan even though breastfeeding is going on.

+ make more 'whole 30 compliant' meals for the freezer... the first few weeks after delivery we had such wonderful people bringing us dinners and treats and snacks! it was beyond helpful! {for a few days after i had the baby i was either breastfeeding, pumping, sleeping, eating or exhausted. all of this meant that the cooking, house cleaning and pet care all fell to my husband who was getting less sleep than i was.} once i was out of bed and loved ones stopped bringing {basically} daily meals my husband wanted very nutrient dense food. he was depleted and many of the meals i had made were a little more comfort based than he was craving.

+ fully cook a few more meals... many of my meal prep plans included thawing a ziploc bag of a dinner for the crockpot. this required us to remember the night before to pull out a dinner. sometimes we remembered - but often we did not. having a few more "just reheat" types meal preps would have served us well.

+ i really liked these blueberry oat crumble bars but they didn't thaw as well as i would have liked. i probably would make them again, but maybe once i was back on my feet and not for the freezer. it is a very simple recipe and would work well for a naptime baking if you had the energy {they weren't listed as a freezer ready bar, i just tried it}

+ our favorites {linked to original source}:

sweet potato chili
beef roast and carrots {i will add more carrots the next time i make it}
italian sausage soup
chicken fajitas
lunch lady bars


i like the idea of a big meal prep during a busy season. or i'm considering it as a way to save more of our homegrown produce this summer... already portioned and used for a meal!

have a lovely week!

:i'm dreaming of those holiday cookies:

okay, who else is ready for the holiday foods!?! i am loving the glimmer of hope i have to dedicate some time to baking - even if it is one kind of cookie - that our family can enjoy on christmas eve.

one of our favorite traditions has always been making a few kinds of cookies, of course including some terrible decorating and bringing that holiday cookie tray to the big family get together.

i'm starting to consider what one or two cookies to attempt to make during an upcoming nap-time.

last year we loved having oreo truffles for a super-rich treat... i rarely make truffles so it seemed very special! we used this recipe {from sally's baking addiction} last holiday season.

and pretty much every year my husband gets over the moon excited for the cookies of his childhood - the ever loved {and rarely shared} monster cookies! we've used this recipe {from sally's baking addiction} for the last several years and it always turns out!

and i've been eyeing this recipe {from sally's baking addiction - what can i say, haven't had a bad recipe from sally!} ever since i've had mad-salted-caramel-cravings during pregnancy.

how about you? what cookies will be on your holiday table this year?

my postpartum meal prep {recipe links}

as i mentioned earlier this month i decided that making intentional food plans for the start of our fourth trimester would be a solid way to prepare for our new little one's arrival.

i had decided that 6 weeks of meals + snacks would be a fine amount of prepared and saved food to plan. i figured that this would actually stretch longer (8 weeks was my estimation) as there are always the unforeseen evenings of family bringing over dinner, a pizza night in, and maybe actually cooking a meal (i'm sure i'll want a fresh salad, to feel normal and cook dinner, or eat a warm bowl of oatmeal at some point). who knows, if we are really feeling frisky we might venture out one night to grab a quick bite to eat! plus when one considers how many meals + snacks a young family might consume... oh boy that is still a lot of pre-cooked nourishment!


::i planned::

3 meals/day for 2 adults for 6 weeks... which meant:
84 breakfasts
168 lunches/dinners

and approximately 3 snacks/day for 1 breastfeeding mama for 6 weeks... which totaled:
126 snacks

and it broke down roughly like so {click on food item for direct link- thank you to all the bloggers and recipe sharers that helped me with this ultimate food prep!}...

Breakfast Meals
(4) Freezer French Toast
(20) Mini Breakfast Bakes  {i just used my silicone muffin tin to make them individualized}
(4) breakfast sandwiches {i did some bagel + some english muffin for variety}
(12) Bacon, Egg + Potato Breakfast Casserole
(12) Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
(10) Greek Yogurt Banana Bread
(10) Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread {obviously i had some greek yogurt + produce to use up!}
(12) Bread slices to thaw for toast + homemade jam in the cabinet!!


Lunch/Dinner Meals
(6) Sweet potato chili
(12) Crockpot Mexican Chicken Chili {i omitted the cornbread topping and thought if i'm really up for it i can make cornbread muffins before serving}
(12) Crockpot Beef + Lime Chili
(6) Mexican Chicken Soup {this one i cooked in the crock pot while prepping other frozen meals, cooled it then froze the already cooked dinners in ziploc bags}
(8) Crockpot Beef Roast + Carrots
(12) Crockpot Garden Veggie Soup with Beef
(12) Chicken Fajitas
(12) Slow Cooker Sausage Spinach Soup
(12) Italian Sausage Soup
(8) Spicy Sausage Gumbo
(8) Turkey + Noodles

::Protein to be added to noodles, salad or buns::
(5) Shredded Chicken
(12) Crockpot BBQ Shredded Chicken
(8) Turkey Burger Patties {just grilled burger patties}
(24) Turkey Breast Slices {just oven roasted}
(5) Meatballs

:: I also splurged for some variety and bought 6 Trader Joe frozen meals to round out our supply::


Snacks
(24) Granola Bars
(12) Oat Cakes
(12) Gluten Free Strawberry + Pecan Muffins
(8) Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars
(16) Strawberry Oat Crumble Bars {i actually used the Blueberry Oat Crumble Bar recipe from Averie Cooks but swiped the blueberries for strawberries - it turned out great! i think i do like the blueberry ones better!!}
(36)Chocolate Chip 'Lunch Lady' Bars
(18) Homemade Salsa + Tortilla Chips

i'm hopeful that this pre done cooking will be a huge support in our upcoming sleepy days... any tips out there for a major food prep?

{summer} kitchen thoughts

oh dear friends, i had some fill-me-up time in the kitchen the past few days...

canning and chopping and putting by. nothing smells better than a crock pot full of tomatoes simmering down for easy tomato sauce.


with all the hustle and bustle - getting ready for school, getting ready for the baby and spending my summer moments still settling into our house + routines - i almost didn't give myself the permission to can.


what was i thinking?! i decided a few days into august that it wouldn't do to not save something that we needed to fill up our pantry. part of what i love about summer and why i don't teach year round is that i use the summer days to shop local farmer's markets and orchard and then render all the special things we love to eat {click to read about my canning favorites!}. we would really miss those gems in the winter months if i skipped making at least something that we were low on.

so with my minimal time allowance i selected a few things to can... we were down to one jar of ketchup and one small jar of salsa. i knew what i needed to do {click on link to go to direct site for recipe i used}:

Roasted Red Pepper Ketchup
Chunky Homemade Salsa
Corn Salsa

and then i took all the extra tomatoes and made a little batch of easy tomato sauce.

time well spent. now i need to get back to lesson plans and organizing the diaper bag!

how about you? any perfect canning recipes that you just loved this year?

how i prep breakfast + lunch to last the week

that's right y'all. i'm getting back into the swing of the school year and that means i'm cooking with all the burners on sundays. this helps me keep from eating out or running out of meals to serve during a quick moving work week.

i thought it might be fun to share how i plan many meals, prepare and store them so they are easy to gather up for lunches or to eat at home.

often i try to plan one basic breakfast for monday thru friday. if i don't make enough for the week we often end up with eggs and sweet potatoes or oatmeal on friday. and we are okay with that.

this week i decided to use up some bacon from the freezer and make a breakfast salad. by prepping + storing the bacon, egg salad and clean, chopped kale salad separately all i need to do each morning is put the pieces together in one bowl. i made a double batch and hoped that it would be plenty for the week! so on the weekday mornings i will just make a layer of kale, scoop some egg salad and crumble bacon over top of the whole thing. we will might drizzle a little balsamic if we feel it needs something else. i put together the salads while my husband makes the coffee and we eat in our quiet kitchen after we are dressed and pretty much ready to leave the house.

i store these foods separately as it seems to keep them fresher. a bonus is that it is also more flexible that way. for example if we decide on wednesday to have toast and egg salad we are able to change the meal that tiny bit very easily.

as for lunches - once again i try to plan for one basic lunch and then if we have dinner left overs we also serve those for lunches too. we find that if the main course is something simple and filling we don't mind eating the same lunch all week.

i planned grilled chicken + egg over salad for lunch. with a few sides like whole apples, roasted nuts, watermelon and a lara bar for if we get extra hungry {i often eat a snack at the start of my walk home so i'm not starving when i walk into the front door of our house}. i prep the romaine and other greens {wash, let dry a bit, chop} and other veggies i have on hand {carrots, peppers, cucumbers, radishes - etc.} and put all those prepped vegetables in one bowl to store in the fridge. my husband will often grill several chicken breasts while i make the hardboiled eggs. i slice up the chicken once it is cooked and store in one container. the hardboiled eggs go in a separate container. we assemble the salads either the night before {and add the egg in the morning or pack it separately and add it at lunch time}. we typically mix several dressing servings {think the tiniest mason jars known to man} for the week and put one in our lunch boxes the night before.

we also do this prep in advance with the other side dishes - i chop watermelon and place servings in small glass containers {sometimes other mason jars} so we can just pull them straight from the fridge when we are about to leave for work. i make several small containers of roasted almonds + cashews. and we typically have apples and lara bars in a big fruit bowl on our kitchen table. everything is ready to go - all we have to do is put it in the lunchbox the night before we go to bed {room temperature items like the nuts, apples, lara bars} or the morning on our way out the door {cold temperature foods like the salads + watermelon}.

okay, breakfasts and lunches are ready... i think we are good for this week!

happy monday!

** the recipes i used are linked to their original source - just click on the foods listed.

how i created a short term food supply

hello there. today i thought i'd share a bit about how i spent several months figuring out how to create a short term supply of food.

{Are you not familiar with this idea? Please don't jump to super scary thoughts of an underground shelter and canned beans stacked from floor to ceiling... are you looking for a good place to start? read this pretty low key two-page pdf :: link here}

i was inspired to prepare in this way when i considered all my family's work and thoughts that made our emergency savings and get-out-of-debt plan such a success thus far. i realized something that would help us with this emergency preparedness would also be a basic food supply.

now i don't know if we're exactly prepared for some crazy out of the norm long term event {i.e. a zombie world take over - i know that my husband and i will both hold out to be saved by Brad Pitt} however, if it became difficult for us to afford groceries or one of us became very ill the family could make do with what is in our food storage and general food storage plan.

our short term storage also has been a great resource when we are just low on groceries or time when cooking a late night dinner - why not pull out that can of black beans for a protein? then you can replace it with a newer can the next time they go on sale at the store!

A Few Important Ideas that Worked for Me:

+ shopping slowly
now, i know the need can strike at anytime for the use of a food storage, however i found it most manageable when i broke down the shopping into small amounts. partly due to spending constraints, but also because i like to purchase bulk items at specific places. so i started by consider what i'd like to have in my storage and then only putting a few of those items on my shopping list when i knew that i could purchase a little more than the list of what we needed to eat for the week.

+only buy what will work for my cooking
i figured if it was something we wouldn't want to eat we would live without it. like i didn't purchase dried eggs or dried milk. it just wasn't something i was willing to say - yes i will cook with this. instead i put foods on the list i was comfortable with and planned meals with the ingredients that i thought would keep well for our storage plan. and i purchased items that didn't confuse me while reading the ingredient lists.

+use my canning stash to supplement
i enjoy canning food - jams, ketchups, salsa, tomato sauces, dill veggies - so in those went to my supply. and i planned meals or snacks with those items.

+labeling my storage space
i really believe in good labeling when it comes to food storage. i selected one cabinet to hold our extra food items and made a simple list {about 6 pages long} to state what is on each shelf and their expiration dates. this way we can eat food {and quickly replace it} before it goes bad. if there is more than we can manage we also can donate canned goods to a local food shelter before it expires so at least someone can eat it. i also use a highlighter to cross out items that we eat. that way i know quickly what we have and what we don't have on the shelf.  i like knowing what we had in the past so i don't have to go back through and re-brainstorm the initial list of what should go on these shelves.

Inspired? Want to consider making your own food storage plan? Try some of these resources for more tips, hints, and helpful ideas:

Detailed run down of how to start your 3 month food supply {with Valerie of Prepared LDS Family blog} - be sure to read the comments for a few more helpful suggestions

Pantry Shopping List + Key Points List to get you started when considering your short term food supply {with Crystal at Everyday Food Storage}

Ways to look at your 3 month supply as a "working supply of food storage" {with Shelle at Preparedness Mama}

Check out this post with a great 3 Month Planning Graphic {with Tammy from Simply Preparing}

* i've added this post to Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop! ::click here:: to head over and check out all the great information and stories from other bloggers! Thanks to all the hosts and bloggers for sharing in the fun!

my canning story

good morning! this summer produce and canning has been so, so good to me. i know i always say that i love seeing that produce all pretty in a jar... but i really do. i think i have loved favorites foods in a jar for a long time.

it probably stems from my first memories of canning. that's right friends - making great grandma's pasta sauce in the kitchen with my momma! i mean, we're talking THE family recipe. we honestly call it "the sauce" or just "sauce" and everyone in the family knows what we're talking about. even in+after college my sister and i visit home at the same time to help my mom make huge batches. with my dad sitting at the counter telling stories, passing out critiques of cooking style and hopping up from his barstool to stir the huge pot every few minutes.

so then flash forward a few years and i start craving some domestic hobbies. something that is valuable for our family life, something that could be used intentionally in our home and gives great enjoyment. i knew canning would be just the thing. i started out making simple freezer jam then cooked fruit jams + butters. after a few years of trying many {many} recipes i have found a bit of rhythm when it comes to what i love to can. luckily i even have a few friends who are into the idea of canning up goodies too! sometimes we work in the kitchen together, go to local farm u-picks, or trade various canned up foods once we were done making our own double batches!

there is even more goodness knowing that i can continue canning goodies for a bit longer this season. looking forward to some apple goodness this fall. i'm planning on making at least one batch of apple butter for my brother-in-law... what are your apple saving favorites?

* i've added this post to Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop! ::click here:: to head over and check out all the great information and stories from other bloggers! Thanks to all the hosts and bloggers for sharing in the fun!

garden + homestead update {july 2015}

so you may remember that i had big - big dreams for my garden this summer. well, it is interesting when real life happens and how much work just one or two of your {other} big visions take...

this summer we've focused our extra time and energy on a few home projects and our lovely little chickens.

this means i haven't moved our garden beds to a sunnier spot yet. nor have i planted them. i'm dedicating more of my food growth/prep time to canning and using up {or putting up} what our great CSA brings us. we were early adopters of one of our local CSAs and man after a few years of working out what to supply they are bringing the veggies I tell you!

so as to what we've actually done this summer with our garden plans... our coop is perfect! my husband out did himself this time and i love how it has turned out. we even cleared a little portion of our back yard to place the girls back in a mostly shady area that we think they really enjoy {think low branches for roosting and pine needles for scratching}. we are into a great little routine with our girls and they've decided that i am the source of food and my husband is the source of loud, unpredictable noises - such as mowing the lawn, or general wood-maker/saw sounds. it is pretty great. i love the chickens just as much as i thought i would.

we have a few finishing touches to put on the coop + run. so i'll just have to promise a super tour sometime soon.

as for what's next... i'm thinking about canning up local tomatoes, hoping for the time to make roasted red pepper ketchup and then maybe even making a year's worth of salsa.

how about you, enjoying summer's bounty? what are you growing? canning?


*I'm happy to also note that I just added this blog post to the {Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop #10} click ::here:: to check out some of the great posts featured on this link up!

moments in the kitchen :: summer kitchen fun

okay my dears! we are in the thick of it... summer kitchen excitement!

i've been busy with pickling, smoothie + kombucha making and veggie chopping a plenty. i think it is time for sharing some links as a way to celebrate july in the kitchen...

making the best refrigerator dill pickles known to the history of cucumbers. {even my dear gal pal kaytie thinks so!}

trying out this banana ketchup recipe and making enough to freeze a jar.

and considering making this mango jam recipe to be showcased during an upcoming brunch at our house.

How about you? Loving some summertime cooking in the kitchen? I'd love to know more about it!



**I added this post to Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop #9...  click on over to check out all the fun links!

Interrupting this Whole30 to bring you a Whole15

that's right. i've felt so good {+ so good, so quickly} this third round of the Whole30 that i've decided to make it a 'Whole15' instead. ever since my first Whole30 a goal of mine has been to work my way thru resets until i'm only needing a Whole15 every so often. and i think i'm there!

i have so much energy behind eating well right now i've decided to head off {slightly} from the strict Whole30 guidelines and just add back in small amounts of dairy. that really is all i'm working with now. a serving of cheese or a glass of milk each day. my plan is to only eat quality dairy ingredients that are really worth it to me. i think to keep some sort of balance i will not eat cheese as a snack - i've learned in the past that snacking on cheese seems to increase my sugar cravings.


as for everything else, i guess i'll only splurge when i really feel something is worth it. but my hope is to keep treats and all sugar to a minimum. gluten is such a bother to me that i think i'm steering completely clear of that situation if possible.


i'm hoping that with this early end to my reset that i will continue to make these healthier choices and begin to establish new routines which will rarely include the foods that make me feel the least like myself.

My Third Whole30 Experience {It Starts}

Hello friends! I am happy to say that I'm several days into my third Whole30 experience. As our local produce kicked it up a notch I felt like I was ready for a reset. I was ready for a complete and true Whole30 and I really wanted to stay clean the entire 30 days this time. {Read about my first - here + here - and second Whole30 adventures} I knew it was time for some seriously healthy eating and was already feeling grateful for all the things I would learn from this round.

The week before I was planning to start my Whole30 I splurged with pizza, ice cream, nachos, a root beer float and a hamburger - bun included - oh, and a pint of my favorite local beer! So of course the few days before I even started I woke up feeling bloated and tired. How poorly someone is eating can dictate how awful they feel during the first few weeks of the Whole30. So, I don't recommend going too crazy on poor food choices. I found my poor decisions and the consequences of how negative I felt actually fueled my desire to eat clean this summer.

To get started I did some easy prep to make eating whole food a tad bit more simple - chopped fruits and veggies, made bulk protein (like grilled chicken for salad, and browned sausage for breakfasts), filtered water and cold-brewed some coffee. I also stocked up on organic fruit, almonds and pickles. The first few days I was chugging water and black coffee and logging seven to nine hours of sleep to make sure I didn't have serious headaches. I also tried to eat very regularly with plenty of protein and good fats. On day one and two I had a few headaches and stomachaches but by day three I remembered to eat slowly and often. As my after meal stomachaches seem to stem from waiting too long to eat and then scarfing my meal down. Day four and five it was difficult to get up but for the most part I was already feeling better. I think it is all in getting enough water, sleep, and eating meals regularly - oh and if you are a regular caffeine consumer like me... quitting coffee should happen when you aren't also experiencing sugar withdrawals.

A few ideas that have really helped me so far:

+ pepper slices are pretty tasty with mashed avocados {just a little salt and pepper}

+ hardboiled eggs are great to have at the ready {ever try to make them in the oven? try it, you'll thank Corey from Family Fresh Meals too! - Thanks Corey!}

+ carrying around a large jar of ice water at all times means more water in my system {cute straws help too}

Anyone else working thru a Whole30 reset?

Garden Thoughts for February 2015

February has been for planning the garden! 

I've got planting dates marked in my calendar and books about growing galore from the library.

I've also been doing some thinking about our chicken coop plans and the lay out of our yard...

Guide to Designing the Perfect Chicken Coop with One Acre Farm

I've been considering numbers of plants and counting up my need for seeds... 

How much should you plant in your garden? with The Well Fed Homestead

Oh! and reflecting on the blueberry bush we planted last year...

You Can Grow Blueberries with The Paleo Mama

I am getting myself so excited for this year's planting. 

How about you? Any great plans for the 2015 gardening season?

Cutting Down on Sugar {reflection of my second Whole 30}

Over 30 Days have passed since I began a second Whole 30. This time through was difficult and I wasn't a perfect eater. However, I feel better than I did prior to starting and I lost about ten pounds! So I'm feeling pretty positive about my second Whole 30 experience!

I'm leaving this Whole 30 focusing on keeping forward motion and making healthy choices just a daily routine. Sure I might have some birthday cake this month for my niece and nephew... but I don't want to make it a weekly habit.

Our family is trying to figure out what we can enjoy as a healthy Whole 30-ish menu that gives us a little wiggle room for foods we love. Foods that are not compliant but foods we can still eat because they do not negatively  dictate our moods or cloud our thoughts {say oatmeal...} . I've just started really poking around the website whole9life.com to see the wisdom shared there and possibility let that inspire our upcoming meal plans and food choices.

I'll wrap up this reflection with a few tips that I thought about during these last 30 days.

Build Momentum + Make Eating Healthy Easier
It is definitely easier to turn down sweets after the first two weeks of Whole 30. Build on that and just keep staying away from all forms of sugar. When you sneak a little something it is very difficult to keep that sugar high off your mind and sweets away from your plate.

Bulk Prep + Stream Lined Planning
The final two weeks of our Whole 30 I really simplified meal planning. As in I made the week's worth of compliant breakfasts {one breakfast item that we ate daily - such as mini breakfast bakes} and the week's worth of compliant lunches on Sunday afternoon {also one main lunch dish that would be enjoyed with a fruit and large salad for the entire week's worth of lunches - such as a hearty soup or stew}. Then Monday and Tuesday I would make dinner, but make enough to eat several times. This meant I was buying in bulk and cooking in bulk and making very few menu decisions. It was automatic and simple and didn't give me the option to stray from the diet guidelines. We were not having loads of choices, but since our foods were based on healthy proteins and vegetables we were getting all the carbohydrates, calcium, and protein our bodies needed from maybe five to six total different meals over the entire week.

Make a Mistake + MOVE ON!
I wrote about my run-in with a bowl of ice cream. I forgave myself and then continued right on. If I would have made a huge deal I would have made more poor food decisions in the following days due to my guilt.

So, how about you? Try any great Whole 30 inspired recipes lately? Or healthy meals without a ton of sugar, gluten, or dairy? I'd love to hear about it!

Homegrown: Garden Dreaming

It may come as no surprise. But I've been doing a bit of garden dreaming these past few days. Making 'Garden Resolutions' and considering a schedule for this year. Last year I had a poor garden display. Partly my {lack of} doing, partly lack of sun, partly who knows...

In 2015, I'm moving on and hoping for a better year. I'm claiming a fresh start and making a few Garden Resolutions {as inspired by this post}

2015 Garden Resolutions

::grow fewer types of produce and more of what we actually eat {such as}::

• tomatoes
• peppers
• onions
• lettuce, spinach
• zucchini
• cucumbers
• potatoes
• sweet potatoes
• carrots
• garlic
• herbs: basil, thyme, bay, cilantro, rosemary, sage

::spend time on our food or garden everyday {cooking, prepping, menu planning, gardening, etc.}::

::grow flowers::

::make plans for chickens {and possibly carry out those plans - I've been just dying for a few layers}::

::plant a fruit tree::

::find ways that work for us to preserve some of our mushroom harvest::

I'm using January to read some gardening books, lay out my garden plan, and consider the year's schedule + flow. How about you, up to some garden dreaming? I'd love to hear about it. Just comment below!

Cutting Down on Sugar {Half Way thru my second Whole 30 + Coming Clean}

Okay, friends. This Whole 30 thing is trying. Even the second time through - it is a struggle. {read about the start of my last Whole 30 :: here}

I'll be honest and tell you {yes, I'm super ashamed} - I had a little break down over the weekend. I'm going to blame it on the state I was in after seeing the movie Whiplash - no joke. I jittered out of the theatre and right into a single scoop of the best + most local ice cream I could. {But really, go see the movie, it is intense so don't plan on going straight to bed - and do your best not to spoil your Whole 30 meals after the viewing}

Of course I had a ridiculous sugar crash the next morning.

Lesson learned.

I'm back on the sugar-free + narrow.

I had a big heart to heart with my husband over our {completely compliant} Sunday breakfast and we decided to just continue with our Whole 30 plans. Chalk it up to earning a deeper commitment. I guess we aren't really "starting over", we are moving forward.

We know that our ultimate goal is finding what foods fuel our bodies the best and limit the ones that don't. But we also know that once in awhile there will be times where we might indulge. We're just not going to do so during the rest of our thirty days. I am not going to let a little bit of cream and sugar sabotage me. I will also not let the date on the calendar continue to hold this mistake over my head for weeks to come. I know that I will feel that I've completed this Whole30 once I reach that feeling of "reset".

So, to help me make peace with this + to build momentum I will share a few links of recipes I've really been enjoying these past two weeks:

Easy Slow Cooker Taco Meat {From Rubies & Radishes} - love making this for easy taco salad lunches!

How to Roast Vegetables in the Slow Cooker {From Chocolate Covered Katie} - this is wonderful for a prep + forget side dish

Paleo Crock Pot Chili Recipe {From Paleo Newbie} - tonight's dinner...


and these two I've got my eye on for an upcoming dinner:

Easy Balsamic Infused Beef Pot Roast {From Just Enjoy Food}

Lazy Sunday Pot Roast {From Rubies & Radishes}

Canning: Fruit Jam without Processed Sugar or Pectin

Let's talk about how much our family and friends seem to love jam. I mean, go crazy every time we see them as they are asking me about making more peach jam. To the point where it was one of the most requested Christmas gifts of 2014 from me!

You know why we love it so very, very much... I'm guessing it is all the sugar. Well and super fresh Ohio fruit!

Over the past few seasons I've been searching for more natural ways to sweeten {without overly processed sugar}. Local honey has been my best bet. I often use sweet fruits, local honey or Ohio maple syrup in many of my baking or sweetening needs. This made me wonder - especially after all my Whole 30 considerations - could I make this year's jam a little less sugary? And maybe even with something other than {mountains} of sugar?

And happily I was able to try it out! My favorite two recipes from this past summer are below. Both of the jams are plenty sweet! However, there is a slight flavor of honey - as that was my added bit o' sweetness - which everyone has really enjoyed so far!

In related news, I'm pretty pleased with the amount of jam I made this past summer. Plenty for Christmas gifting and more than enough for us to enjoy through the winter months!

Better bookmark these recipes for next sunny berry-pickin' summer days!

Honey Sweetened Peach + Vanilla Bean Jam {with Food in Jars}

Canning Jam without Pectin or Refined Sugar {with 100 Days of Real Food}